肿瘤复发是肝细胞癌（HCC）肝移植（LT）后危及生命的并发症。移植前精确的复发风险分层对于受者的管理至关重要。在这里，我们的目的是基于移植前外周细胞因子分析建立移植后 HCC 复发的炎症相关预测模型。招募了 293 名在两个独立医疗中心接受 LT 的患者，并将他们的移植前血浆样本送去进行细胞因子分析。通过 COX 回归分析，我们在训练队列 (n = 190) 中确定了四个独立的危险因素，包括甲胎蛋白、全身免疫炎症指数、白细胞介素 6 和骨钙素。基于上述因素建立了炎症指纹（IFP）预测模型。 IFP 有效预测移植后复发（受试者工作特征曲线下面积 [AUROC]：0.792，C 指数：0.736）。高 IFP 组接受者的 3 年无复发生存率明显较差（37.9% vs. 86.9%，p < 0.001）。同时 T 细胞分析显示，高 IFP 受体的特征是 T 细胞功能受损。 IFP 在验证队列中也表现良好（n = 103，AUROC：0.807，C 指数：0.681）。总之，IFP 有效预测了移植后 HCC 复发，并有助于完善移植前风险分层。 T 细胞功能受损可能是高 IFP 组受者复发风险高的内在机制。© 2024 作者。四川国际医学交流中心出版的MedComm

Tumor recurrence is a life-threatening complication after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Precise recurrence risk stratification before transplantation is essential for the management of recipients. Here, we aimed to establish an inflammation-related prediction model for posttransplant HCC recurrence based on pretransplant peripheral cytokine profiling. Two hundred and ninety-three patients who underwent LT in two independent medical centers were enrolled, and their pretransplant plasma samples were sent for cytokine profiling. We identified four independent risk factors, including alpha-fetoprotein, systemic immune-inflammation index, interleukin 6, and osteocalcin in the training cohort (n = 190) by COX regression analysis. A prediction model named inflammatory fingerprint (IFP) was established based on the above factors. The IFP effectively predicted posttransplant recurrence (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC]: 0.792, C-index: 0.736). The high IFP group recipients had significantly worse 3-year recurrence-free survival rates (37.9 vs. 86.9%, p < 0.001). Simultaneous T-cell profiling revealed that recipients with high IFP were characterized by impaired T cell function. The IFP also performed well in the validation cohort (n = 103, AUROC: 0.807, C-index: 0.681). In conclusion, the IFP efficiently predicted posttransplant HCC recurrence and helped to refine pretransplant risk stratification. Impaired T cell function might be the intrinsic mechanism for the high recurrence risk of recipients in the high IFP group.© 2024 The Author(s). MedComm published by Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association (SCIMEA) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.